Radiant Garden
by AnimeMandi22
Summary: Kiari is always interupting. Sora and Riku never get time alone since they got back. Will they ever be alone again? SLASH-SORA/RIKU. DON'T LIKE PLEASE DON'T READ. Genre: Romance and a little humor but probubly not that much.
1. Chapter 1

Disclamer: don't own anything but the plot and i definitly am not making any money.

A/n: if there are spelling errors then tell me EXACTLY what's wrong. not just that something is wrong thanks and don't forget to review.

"Riku? Riku! RIKU!"

"What Sora?"

"Why didn't you answer me?"

"I was thinking," Riku never turned away from the sunset.

Sora sighed Riku had been 'thinking' a lot lately. He would sit in their favorite tree, looking out over the ocean, and think. Sora couldn't get him to do anything. It was just like before and that scared Sora. He didn't want things to go back to then he didn't want to lose Riku to the darkness again.

"What are you thinking about?" Sora asked but didn't expect an answer. He never got an answer."

"Things."

"What things?"

"It doesn't matter. What did you want earlier?"

"Oh… It was nothing." Riku could tell that he was lying but didn't get a chance to voice his opinion.

"Sora! Riku!" as Sora turned to Kairi he didn't see Riku clench his jaw and fists and turn away.

"Hi Kairi. What's up?"

"I found a bottle with a message," she said as she handed it to Sora.

Sora opened the bottle and slipped out the rolled parchment.

"It has King Mickey's seal on it," this finally got Riku's attention.

"What does it say Sora?"

Sora proceeded to read it out loud.

Dear Riku and Sora,

Sora, I am requesting your presence in Radiant Garden. We are having difficulties with things coming up missing and the computer system alarms don't seem to be working. You are the only one to have entered the program so we could use your help in finding out what is wrong with the system. Riku, I am asking you to accompany him because of the thief that is causing all the problems. Two key blade masters are better then one.

A Gummi ship will be picking you up at 2 pm on Wednesday. I can't wait to see you both.

King Mickey

Sora reread the letter twice then thought of something.

"Kairi, what's today?"

"Wednesday."

"Oh no! What time is it?"

"It was about one when I left my house and that was probably twenty minutes or so ago.

"Oh NO! We gotta get ready! Come on Riku," Sora said as he grabbed Riku's hand and yanked him back towards town.

At the edge of town they parted saying they would meet back up in half an hour at the Gummi ship platform that had been built after they returned to Destiny Island.

As Sora ran in to his house he called out to his mother.

"MOM!"

"Sora? What is all that racket for?"

"Me and Riku…" he started to explain as he ran to his room.

"Riku and I…"

"Mom! Riku and I got a letter from King Mickey. We have to go to Radiant Garden for a while."

"Okay. Do you need any help getting ready?"

"Nope, all ready." Sora said coming out of his room.

"Do you know how long you will be gone?"

"No, the computer isn't working right, and there seems to be a thief and they need our help. That's all I know right now."

"Okay," his mother leand down and kissed his cheek. "Just be careful;, and don't forget to write."

"We will mom. I'll write. Love ya!" Sora called out as he ran out the door.

SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR

When Kairi, had first come up to them he'd wanted to scream at her to get her to leave. But now he felt like kissing her. He and Sora were getting away from Destiny Island, for the first time since they got back, and away from her. Riku liked being back here except that Kairi was always around. He and Sora didn't get time alone anymore. She was always there interrupting them. Before they left it hadn't bothered him but for some reason now it did. Riku kept telling himself that is was because he had gone so long with out seeing his best friend and Kairi had gotten to spend time with him and he hadn't, but sometimes he wondered if that was true.

Riku waved as Sora came running up to the Gummi platform. He scowled when he saw that Kairi was with him.

"Hey Sora, give me your bag I'll put it in the Gummi ship."

"Sora, why can't I come too?" Kairi whined. Riku froze; he hoped Sora wouldn't cave like he usually did when Kairi whined like that.

"I told you. The Gummi ships are only made for 2 passengers. There isn't enough room for you."

Riku smirked as he tossed Sora's duffle into the back of the ship. He'd never heard him lie to Kairi so blatantly before. It kind of surprised him. He wondered why Sora would lie to her.

"Oh. Alright. You'll take pictures and bring me back a present then won't you?"

"Of course Kairi. We have to go now. See you later."

Sora climbed in behind Riku and shut the door. He sat and fastened his belt letting out a sigh.

"Why did you lie to her?" Riku asked in the silence that followed, making Sora jump.

"Um… I... I don't know. I just thought King Mickey wouldn't want us to bring her because she wasn't invited and I couldn't think of another reason that she wouldn't be upset over."

Riku could tell the other boy was lying again but he didn't push it anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**BETA-ED : Hito me Bore **(any mistakes left are mine alone)

Sora was worried.

Riku hadn't said a word for the entire ride.

Sora looked over at his friend, worry evident in his eyes. "Riku what's the matter?"

He leaned over in his chair, as if the sight of him wiggling around in such a manner would get him to talk. "You've been acting weird for a while now tell me."

Riku sighed. Sora had kept this up the entire ride. He was looking forward to spending time with Sora, but at times, the boy had a habit of pestering him with such fervor, it was annoying. He opened his mouth to respond when he heard a loud "Wumph" from behind.

"What Was...?" Riku couldn't tear his eyes away from the controls long enough to investigate properly. "Sora, what's going on?"

Sora frowned, as he looked behind him for the source of the sound. "Um…"

"Sora? What's wrong?" Riku looked over his shoulder, and a scowl immediately darkened his features. He found the one thing he thought they had finally gotten rid of. "What the hell? Kairi?"

The girl gave him a sheepish grin. "I wanted to come."

Riku sighed, and tried not to sound as irritated as he felt. "Didn't Sora tell you there wasn't room?"

Kairi smiled cheekily. "Well obviously there was, because I'm here."

Riku growled. All his plans for spending some quality time with Sora were ruined. The thought of turning all the way around and dropping her off back at Destiny Island crossed his mind, but he had a feeling telling her so would cause plenty of problems. He wanted to keep his plan to stay with Sora alone…as a more or less unspoken plan. There really was no peaceful way of getting what he wanted, so he decided to let it go. "Fine, you know what, I don't care. Sora, I'm going to go find King Mickey. You deal with her."

SRSRSRSR

It was a long flight, and Riku found that the longer he traveled with Kairi, the more irritated he became. He kept his comments to himself, as Sora and Kairi chatted, as to not make the trip uncomfortable for all of them.

He landed the Gummi ship at the port, and got out. Sora and Kairi were still chatting away in the Gummi ship, so he walked to Ansem's Lab to find King Mickey alone.

When he arrived, Yuffie and Leon were standing in front of the super computer having a rather heated discussion.

"You can't just shut it down. That would kill it," Yuffie yelled.

"How would you know?" Leon countered. "You've never been in there."

"Neither have you! On top of that you don't know anything about computers." Yuffie shouted, pointing at him.

At that Leon crossed his arms and growled. Cloud just stood there, leaning against the wall listening quietly as his friends, while Tifa and King Mickey looked at the controls to the super computer. Riku cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. The ride there hadn't put him in a very good mood, and he wasn't interested in listening to useless quarrels.

"Riku. You're here!" King Mickey exclaimed as he jumped into the boy's arms. "We weren't sure if you would come or not." King Mickey looked over his shoulder before asking, "Where's Sora?"

"Probably in the Gummi Ship with his girlfriend," Riku growled as he set the mouse down.

"Girlfriend, but I thought…"

"He brought Kairi along," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Actually… she stowed away with the baggage, but I know he won't send her home anytime soon," King Mickey could see that this was definitely bothering his friend. He decided to keep the issue off of his friends mind. He might as well get to business.

"Cloud, Leon, everyone… why don't you got greet Sora and Kairi at the Gummi Station and show them to the house? Get them settled in. Riku and I will join you all shortly."

"Alright, Mickey," Yuffie and Tifa said in unison as they grabbed the boys and pulled them away.

Riku leaned up against the wall and inspected the massive computer in front of him. It took up one wall from ceiling to floor. Red, blue, yellow and green lights flickered on and off on the keyboard and monitor.

It was really quite an amazing sight. He'd only heard what it was like inside the machine from Sora. He had never stepped into the computer world, and he really didn't want to.

Ever.

The thought of being digitalized and stuck inside of some possibly unstable environment hoping a power surge wouldn't "delete" him forever didn't set well with him. No, Riku was perfectly happy breathing air.

"… Riku?" King Mickey's voice brought Riku out of his musings.

"Huh?" He looked down at the mouse, with a bit of confusion. "Sorry. I…um, was thinking that I'd really rather not go in there…unless absolutely necessary."

"Oh, no worries." He patted the boy's leg. "Sora will be the one to go in. I was hoping you would help me with catching the thieves." He paused for a moment, rubbing his chin. "But what I asked was… what's bothering you?"

Riku instinctively stiffened. "It's nothing."

Mickey placed his gloved hands on his hips. "I know when you are lying. I'm your friend. Come on. With everything we've been through together, you can't tell me something like this? Who else can you tell but your friends?"

Riku managed a small smile. "No one. You're right. There _is_ something bother me. Well… more like _someone_ actually."

"Who?"

"Um…it's Kairi."

"What's wrong with her?" The King looked genuinely puzzled.

"Well…she just never leaves us alone." He cleared his throat. "Let me rephrase that… she never leaves Sora alone."

"Ah," Mickey said with a small chuckle. "You're jealous that she's spending time with Sora and not you."

"No! I mean… I'm jealous that Sora's always with her and we never get any time alone any more. He's my best friend. He searched dozens of worlds to find me and now he can't even spend five minutes with me without Kairi tagging along. I think he's afraid of me or something." He folded his arms with a sigh.

Mickey thought for a moment. "Is it that Sora doesn't want to spend time with you or that every time you two are alone, Kairi interrupts?"

"Both. Sora never shoos her away, so I think he doesn't want to be alone with me."

"Well," the king said hopefully. "Maybe she'll befriend Tifa and Yuffie. Then, the two of you will get some time to yourselves."

Riku sighed. "Thanks." Even though he seriously doubted the King's logic, he didn't want to press the subject any further.

King Mickey nodded. "You're welcome. Why don't we go find everyone else? There is someone here that you might enjoy seeing."

"Who?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out," King Mickey smiled and took the lead.

_A/n: Don't forget to R & R. It's really easy. You just have to push the little go button. Lol. _


	3. Chapter 3

**BETA-ED: **_Hito no Bore (any errors are my fault)_

As they approached the house, Riku stopped and turned to Mickey. "Um… You know I don't take surprises well, can't you just tell me who's here?"

Mickey smiled up at the silver haired boy. He knew Riku didn't like surprises… hated them really, but he just couldn't tell him. He wanted to see Riku's expression when he came face to face with the person that most people assumed to be dead.

"I'm not telling. I promised that I wouldn't. It won't be a bad surprise. I promise."

"Oh alright, let's get this over with shall we?" Riku said rolling his eyes at the mouse. He should have known he wouldn't have been able to get the King to spill anything.

Mickey motioned for Riku to enter before him. As Riku pulled the door open a small crack, he was greeted with so much noise he thought his ear drums might blow. He recognized some of the voices that belonged to his friends and one or two that didn't.

But there was another voice… one that he knew better then Sora's or Kairi's; a voice he knew even better then his own. Pulling the door open a little wider, he stepped in over the thresh hold and stopped just inside.

As he looked on, he wasn't sure if he was dreaming…or had some how died in the time between the conversation he'd just had with Mickey and when he opened the door.

However, it didn't matter, because standing out in the small crowd of people was someone he knew he could never forget; someone who he thought had died to save his life.

Axel stood there as tall and just as real as ever. His hair was just as vibrant red and his robes just as black as Riku remembered. Riku knew his mouth must have been open and his eyes were bugging out but he didn't care.

Riku was frozen. He didn't even want to move, let alone breathe, or even blink. He was so afraid that if he did anything Axel would disappear. It had hit him so hard when Axel had sacrificed himself to save them. Riku didn't want to watch him disappear again, but he had to say something. He needed some kind of conformation; was it a dream, or was it real?

"Axel…you're alive?" He swallowed hard, hoping the red head would respond.

Axel's head turned to the sound of Riku's voice. When he saw the silver haired man, he gave him a crooked grin and his eyes lit up like Christmas trees.

"Riku, you really did come," he said, as he made his way over to him. "Are you just going to stand there like that all day? Come over here!"

At Axel's question, Riku seemed to come alive. Axel was really there, standing, talking…he wasn't just a figment his mind had conjured up. He walked over to the red head, and wrapped his arms around his neck, squeezing so tightly, Axel thought his head might pop off, which he chose to voice as he circled his arms around Riku's waist.

"Yeah, if you don't ease up my head's going to pop off there, tiger."

This brought giggles and snorts from everyone in the room, including Riku, who pulled back so he could see Axel's face.

"You're alive, you're really here. I'm not dreaming…"

"Yeah, I'm here and alive… for now, but if you don't stop _squeezing_ me, I might not be for to long."

Riku blushed and relaxed his death grip on Axel's neck, but only slightly.

"How did you get here? How did you survive? I saw you die."

Axel snorted, and waved his hand back and fourth nonchalantly. "You only saw me transport the heartless to a different place. I fought them all and won too!" He paused to smirk triumphantly. "But I was in pretty bad shape by the time it was all over. I was laying there waiting for the world to end when a portal opened up next to me. I figured that anyplace was better than a crumbling World That Never Was, so I went through. After that, I found myself at King Mickey's Castle. Queen Minnie and Princess Daisy took care of me. When I was well enough, King Mickey asked me to come here to help Leon and the other's rebuild." He shrugged. "So here I am."

SRSR

Sora sighed, after just having come from the room Tiffa, Yuffie and the others had shown them too. He'd spent a little more time talking to Kairi than he had wanted too, resulting in Riku going off and leaving them. He had to admit, he was just a little miffed, even if it was because they had business to do.

He'd made his way back down to the room Riku had exited to. Kairi had decided to tag along, and she looked over the computers with a somewhat glazed expression. He rolled his eyes at his friend as she found such fascination with the computer, and set about looking for Riku.

He was nowhere in sight, but the light coming from beneath a door a little from his right caught his attention. He glanced back at Kairi to make sure she hadn't touched anything, and made his way to the door. He pressed his ear to it, listening to a few voices before pulling it open.

He saw a few familiar faces, but it was Riku's that his eyes landed on. He was looking over and smiling at the King, then, when he turned back around to face Axel, the expression on his face was positively radiant!

That definitely wasn't what he expected.

Sora knew the two had become friends while Riku had been "away," as he liked to put it, and sure, they both thought they'd never see Axel again, but the way Riku looked…it bothered him.

Sora wondered if Riku had told him everything about their friendship.

He looked on as Riku placed his hands on Axel's shoulders and gave them an affectionate squeeze. Sora couldn't help feeling something build up inside him.

Maybe it was a little jealousy…

It was the way the two of them looked at each other, and the way they casually touched that bothered him so. It seemed like that Nobody meant more to him than Sora did. Sora really wanted that kind of special relationship to be saved for himself and Riku. So far, that wasn't happening, and he couldn't figure out a way to make it so. They were best friends, and he still couldn't figure out how to get what he really wanted from Riku.

An angry blush colored his cheeks at that realization.

He finally couldn't watch them any longer, and he stormed over to Kairi and grabbed her arm, dragging her toward the door. He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear them. "Come on Kai, let me show you around." He glared at Riku as he passed the two, and stormed through the room.

Riku watched as Sora passed him. He didn't know what had just happened but he didn't think it was something good. It was odd for Sora to just blow up like that…

Then he thought about Sora not getting angry that Kairi had tagged along and decided he didn't care. If Sora wanted to spend time with his little girlfriend then he would just spend time with Axel and forget about the little twerp. Turning back to Axel, he pushed all thoughts of Sora out of his mind.

"Why don't we get out of here so we can talk in private?" Riku asked Axel, who only nodded as an answer.


	4. Chapter 4

_BETA-ED: by the absolutely wonderful **Hito me Bore**_

_hope everyone enjoys this and it's worth the wait. sorry it took so long dont throw anything at me please._

* * *

Axel led Riku to the edge of town. It was a pretty secluded area, so he sat down.

"We can talk here and not be overheard," he said, sitting on the ground. " How have you been?"

"Good," Riku said sitting down next to him. He looked off into the distance at the lush landscape. "I thought Sora said this place was basically a wasteland.

Axel nodded. "It was, but after the Heartless were dealt with, life started to return." Axel waved his hands around at the tall pine and maple trees.

"Well I must say, it is much better than a wasteland." Riku observed as he flopped down on to his back and looked up at the sky. "I miss just laying around, looking up at the clouds like this." He commented and he put his arms under his head.

"Don't you and Sora do it?"

"No we haven't since we returned to the Islands. I guess Sora's too grown up to go cloud watching."

Axel looked at Riku quizzically before laying back on the ground too. "So, what _has_ been going on since I last say you?"

"Nothing you wouldn't have already guessed. After we defeated Xemnas, we went back to Destiny Island and everything went back to normal."

"Normal? You mean you haven't told Sora about your feelings yet?" He looked at his friend. "Did you at least tell him about us?"

"I told him we were really good friends, but that's the extent of what I told him." He sighed. "And no, I haven't told him how I feel. He doesn't like me that way. Besides, I think he's in love with Kairi."

Axel chuckled. "Well then I guess neither of you will be too upset if I do this…" He leaned over Riku and brushed their lips together.

SRSR

"Sora! What was that all about? Why did you drag me out of there like that? You didn't even introduce me to anyone like you said!" Kairi yelled as Sora dragged her out of the laboratory and toward the shops.

"I'm sorry Kairi. I just didn't want to deal with Axel, that's all." Sora stopped and let go of her arm.

Kairi stood akimbo. "Which one was that?"

"The red head, he's a Nobody."

"Oh." She giggled. "He's kinda cute isn't he?"

"Yeah, but not…" Sora trailed off, looking away from her.

"But not what?" She prompted. "Not as cute as Riku?"

Sora snorted. "Riku's not cute, he's…"

"Ugly?" Kairi smirked, leaning in.

"No he's gorgeous!" Sora nearly screamed. A deep blush colored his cheeks, and he looked around nervously to see if anyone had heard.

Kairi placed her hand on his shoulder. "You really need to tell him know how you feel."

"I know… I know. I just don't know how." He explained as he leaned against the stone wall behind him. He closed his eyes with a sigh, and continued. "You aren't any help when you pop up at the most horrible times, you know?" Sora scolded.

"I'm sorry." Kairi said wringing her hands.

"You knew this trip was a way for Riku and I to spend some time together. Why did you have to come?"

"I wanted to see this place. You and Riku got to go on all kinds of adventures and I was stuck back at home on the island. I didn't mean for it to seem like I was trying to butt in. I'm really sorry Sora."

He opened his eyes and turned toward the girl. "It's okay. I…" Sora stopped to focus in on something over Kairi's shoulder. In the distance, he could make out shocking red hair, and…Silver? He leaned in a little to get a better view.

Upon doing so, his eyes grew to the size of saucers and filled with tears.

"Sora… what's wrong?" Kairi asked, blinking. The abrupt change in her friend's attitude concerned her. She turned around to follow his line of sight and saw what had made him so upset.

Though they were a good distance away, it looked as though Riku was sitting on Axel's outstretched legs, with his arms draped over his shoulders and Axel had his hands on Riku's…lower half. On top of that, it seemed like they were in the middle of a very passionate kiss.

_More like devouring each others faces,_ Kairi thought. As she turned her attention back to Sora, she spoke cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay." Sora said, his voice cracking. "He… said they were just friends." Sora's voice rose to a shrill tone as he rambled on. "He said there was nothing between them…" The tears were rolling freely down his face. He couldn't take his eyes off of the pair. "The one person I love more then anything in making out with some heartless nobody."

Kairi noticed that all the light had gone out of Sora's eyes. He was so upset and trembling with anger that she was afraid to go near him. She'd never seen Sora act this way, ever.

He clenched his fists, to the point his knuckles turned white. Even though he knew Riku wasn't aware of his feelings for him, Sora couldn't hold back. His pride was hurt. Someone had gotten to Riku before he did, and it hurt. As much as he wanted to save the Nobodies in the beginning, he couldn't help but feel such strong animosity in one finding love with his one and only.

The rage was building up, and Sora was starting to lose his rationale. All that mattered was that Riku was kissing someone other than him, and that someone was Axel.

"I'm going to kill him for touching Riku… my Riku…" Sora's legs started to move as he made his way through the village shops, down the stairs and over the stone wall at the edge of the area toward the two boys. He'd already conjured the Keyblade…

Kairi watched with horror as Sora took off, weapon in hand. She had never seen her friend act like this, and she was afraid. She couldn't catch up with him, not when he was driven like that, so she cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled as loud as she could."NO SORA COME BACK!" When he didn't acknowledge her, she decided it was best to warn his targets before it was too late. "RIKU! AXEL! WATCH OUT!"


	5. Chapter 5

Beta-ed by hito me bore

Chapter 5

Riku wasn't sure he should be letting Axel kiss him, but he didn't let the thought bother him too long. He was mad at Sora. Every time he tried to get a moment alone with the boy, Kairi was always around. He decided he was going to let himself go. Axel was willing to give him the feelings he so desperately wanted from Sora, and in a round-about way, it made him feel better.

He reached up, placing his hand on Axel's cheek and letting the other drape over his shoulder. As he tipped his head back a little to deepen the kiss, Axel pulled Riku into his lap. It felt so much better then Riku remembered. He'd always imaged this would be how it felt to kiss Sora, slow, loving, and wonderfully peaceful. A small alarm went off in Riku's head as he felt the tiny circles Axel was drawing on his back slide down a bit too far… this wasn't Sora and he shouldn't be doing it.

As he started to pull away, Riku could hear a faint female voice from off in the distance. He turned toward the voice, but he still couldn't make out what she was saying, but he could definitely see who the girl was…

Kairi.

He felt a part of himself sink a bit. Not only did she interfere when he had the chance to talk to Sora, she came around when he was with Axel! Was she intent on ruining all his chances at a relationship?!

But something pulled Riku from his train of thought. He could see, running at full speed, Sora, with his Keyblade drawn. It took a moment for him to focus, and see that the boy was definitely holding it threateningly, before he reacted.

Axel managed to roll away before Sora could impale him with the tip of his blade.

Riku looked quizzically at his friend. He was about to ask what was wrong, when he noticed something a little off about the boy. He didn't seem to be the same Sora. There was something in his eyes…

Deciding he should prepare for the worst, he adopted a fighting stance, and conjured his own Keyblade. He assumed he'd have to defend himself.

As Sora corrected himself from his first charge, Riku could hear the boy muttering a chant to himself.

"I'm going to kill that useless Nobody… I'm going to kill that useless Nobody…"

The realization that Sora was aiming for Axel hit him. He glanced at Axel who looked quite confused. Riku placed himself between Sora and Axel, and held his Keyblade ready.

He didn't understand why Sora was attacking him…useless Nobody? Axel hadn't done anything to Sora really. The last he'd heard, Axel had helped him defeat a sizeable amount of nobodies a while back. Why was he so angry?

Sora whipped around, and charged at Riku. The older boy wasn't sure his friend would attack him so viciously. He was thrown off balance, and quickly knocked aside. There as a fairly loud thud, as Riku's form made contact with a near by tree.

He winced, trying to regain his breath. He couldn't wrap his mind around why Sora would do something like this. What had happened to him?

He took a few breaths, and looked up. Sora had pinned Axel to the ground, his Keyblade at Axel's neck. If Sora wanted to kill him right then, he could have, and he wouldn't have had the time to run over and stave off the attack.

Sora was so different…

His eyes; they weren't the same mirthful blue. Instead, they had taken on a darker, more ominous shade, and his entire body was trembling with rage. It was like he was possessed or something…

Perhaps he could say something. He had to find out what had changed Sora so. "Sora? What's wrong?" He carefully stepped a little closer.

"What's wrong?" Sora snapped. He turned to Riku abruptly. "You're making out with this _Nobody_ and you ask me what's wrong?"

Riku sat there stunned, not able to form words to respond. Sora never used that term in such a vicious manner, especially when addressing Axel. He'd saved their lives after all. He was under the impression Sora thought he was an overall decent guy.

Moreover, he couldn't understand why Sora was so upset, with the knowledge they were kissing. Riku had never bothered to tell Sora about his previous relationship with the red head, but there certainly wasn't a need for a reaction like that.

He took another step forward. "Sora? That's… that's what's wrong? That I was kissing Axel? That's why you're upset?"

"Why else would I be angry?" Sora snapped as he shoved the Keyblade closer to Axel's throat.

Riku could feel a little bit of anger well up inside him. "What's wrong with us kissing?" What right did Sora have to call him out on something he knew nothing about?

A small "Everything," was the only response Riku received. Sora slid the Keyblade to Axel's neck, piercing the skin and causing a small trickle of blood to run down and soak his cloak.

Riku swallowed hard as he saw the pain across Axel's face. He had to stop Sora, but with him acting so unpredictable, what could he do?

Riku nodded slowly. "Okay, okay I understand. It was wrong for Axel and me to kiss. I'm sorry…" He started to get a little closer to Sora. At this point Riku was willing to agree to anything Sora said as long as he could keep the kid from killing Axel. He continued to speak calmly and carefully. "Why don't you put your Keyblade away so we can talk?"

Finally making it to Sora without any more harm being done to Axel, he gently placed his hand on Sora's arm. He applied a little pressure, urging the boy to comply with his request, but not so much to where he resisted.

Sora let out a small gasp, and the keyblade disappeared. His eyes slowly started to return to their normal bright color, and he no longer shook with anger.

"Sora, are you okay now?" Riku asked cautiously. He looked at the boy as he examined his surroundings. Sora seemed…lost.

Eventually his eyes made contact with Riku's. He tilted his head slightly, his eyebrows arched a little. "Riku? What…what happened?" But before he could listen to Riku's reply, he felt his knees buckle, and he could no longer support himself.

Riku grabbed him, and guided him safely to the ground. Kairi joined them a moment later.

She huffed, placing her hands on her knees. "Is everything okay?" she managed between breathes.

"I'm not sure…I don't even know what happened," Riku answered, slightly confused.

"What?"

"I… I don't know." He shook his head, and looked down at the unconscious boy. "I just saw him, running from where you were, down here. Next thing I know, he tried to kill Axel. I tried to reason with him and get the Keyblade away, but as soon as I touched him…he just…snapped back."

"Maybe…we should get him back to King Mickey. He should be able to help us." Kairi suggested.

Riku nodded in agreement and lifted Sora onto his back. Axel was just sitting there as Riku began to walk away. He turned back to the red head.

"Axel, are you coming? You need some medical treatment."

He blinked and frowned up at Riku from his sprawled position on the ground.

"You're just going to take him back to the house like nothing happened? He tried to kill me," Axel argued.

"He needs help there's something wrong. Sora wouldn't do something like this without a reason. Please come back with us."

Axel grunted as Kairi helped him into a standing position. "Fine, but there isn't a really, I mean _really_, good explanation for him attacking me, we are going to have it out!"

Riku sighed. "Fine, let's just get back to the house for now."

SRSRSRSR

Everyone, except Sora, who what still out cold on the couch, either sat or stood around the kitchen. Kairi and Riku both explained what they had seen happen.

"Maybe they were telling the truth after all," Mickey said after the kids had finished explaining what had occurred.

"What do you mean King Mickey?" Riku questioned the mouse.

"Well, we have had reports that others have had similar encounters, where people seem to attack others for no apparent reason and then suddenly revert to themselves after some kind of physical contact. We thought that it was just rumors and such, so we didn't take it too seriously. However, I think maybe that wasn't the best thing."

"It's not a new kind of heartless is it?" Riku turned to Axel, who was feeling a little better since Kairi bandaged up his wound.

"Not that I know of, I may not be officially part of Organization XIII any longer but I still have my connections and I haven't heard anything about this. In fact, as far as I know they haven't really been doing anything," he explained.

"Could it have anything to do with the super computer?" Riku asked turning to King Mickey. He turned back to his previous suspicions about the device. Maybe the side effects of entering it were just now surfacing.

"I'm not positive, but I don't think so. After Sora wakes up we will have to talk to him. Even if he was out of it, he might be able to give us some information. However…" he sighed. "We need to get started with fixing the system. The thieves are getting worse. I hate to do this to you, but both of you need to enter the computer. With Sora acting this unpredictable, you'll have to go with him." There was obvious resentment on Riku's face, but Mickey continued. "Perhaps it is linked to the other incidents happening around town, and there's a possibility it has something to do with Sora. We'll use the probes to track what's going on in town once the system is fixed. We won't know anything more until Sora wakes up." The king rubbed the back of his neck. "It's getting late so why don't well all get to bed for now?"

Everyone agreed, and made their way to their respective rooms. Riku stayed back for a bit longer, and offered to stay by Sora's bed incase he woke up. Mickey agreed, and Riku assured him he'd notify everyone the moment the smaller boy awakened.


	6. Chapter 6

_beta-ed by hito me bore_

chapter 6

Sora groaned. His head was killing him. He started to sit up, but suddenly he felt two strong hands on his shoulders holding him back down. His eyes flew open, and after a moment, he was able to identify Riku standing over him.

"Riku? What happened?" He blinked, as Riku guided him back down.

"Um… don't you remember…?" Riku sighed, and sat down.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "The last thing I remember is talking to Kairi on the wall. How did I get here?"

"Well," Riku started with another sigh. "You attacked Axel and me. Then, after I touched your arm, you passed out."

"What?" Sora tried to sit up again, but Riku was at his side, trying to get him to stay still. "Why would I attack you and Axel? You guys are my friends." Sora turned to a snort that came from the corner of the room.

"Well, friends or not, you still attacked us." Axel grumbled, rubbing at the bandage on his throat.

Sora turned back to look at Riku. "Why? Why did I do it Riku?" Sora was worried. Why on earth would he do something like that? Especially… Riku. The thought of hurting him…it broke his heart.

Riku shared a glance with Axel. He wasn't sure he should tell Sora. If he was right, then what set Sora off the first time was the fact that they had been making out. He wasn't sure if he wanted to risk it happening again.

Axel didn't give him any indication that he knew what he was talking about, so it seemed he was on his own. As he looked into Sora's pleading eyes, he knew he was going to have to tell the younger boy the truth.

"…Axel, it might be best if you waited outside, just in case," Riku added.

Axel shrugged and stood from his place on the floor. "Okay, but call me if anything happens."

"I will. Don't worry," he assured, then got up from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed.

Sora shifted so Riku could have a bit more room. "Riku, what happened? Please talk to me. Why did I attack you?" He gasped. "Did I hurt you?"

"No" Riku finally started. "You didn't hurt me, but you cut Axel's throat." Sora's face seemed pained, so he quickly added, "It wasn't that serious. He's fine." He took to pulling at the fibers on the bed spread. There was no way to be subtle about this. "Look Sora…we think the reason you attacked Axel is because you saw us… kissing."

"K…kissing?" Sora stared at his friend in disbelief. "But I thought… you said…"

Riku looked away from Sora's tear filled eyes. He couldn't stand seeing him that way. He would have almost preferred to see him with his Keyblade out stretched trying to kill him…

"I never lied. I just didn't tell you the extent of our relationship that's all."

"What else did you feel I didn't need to know?" Riku could hear the hurt in Sora's voice and it bothered him more then he cared to admit. "No… you know what don't tell me." He looked at the floor. "I don't care. I'm ...really tired. Can you leave so I can go back to sleep?"

Riku started to say something but thought better of it. "Of course." Maybe it would be better if he let Sora get a little sleep. He stood and made his way to the door. He could hear Sora shifting around on the bed behind him. He wanted to do something more for the boy, but he didn't know what. Closing the door behind him, Riku whispered. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

SRSRSRSR

Sora lay in bed for what seemed like hours. He couldn't get what Riku said off of his mind. He and Axel…had kissed? That would have made him angry, but he couldn't see himself attacking them. Storming off, crying, and yelling later, but certainly not attacking...

Kairi came in a few minutes later with a tray of food. "I thought you might be hungry by now," she said, sitting the try on Sora's lap after he sat up.

Sora smiled at the food. "I'm starved. Thank you." He wasted no time devouring the ham, eggs and pancakes.

Kairi sat on the floor beside his bed. "Why didn't you come out if you were that hungry?" Kairi scolded, though the effect was lost because of her smile.

"I was afraid Riku and Axel were still out there." He mumbled around the pancake he had just shoved in his mouth.

"Oh, no" Kairi shook her head. "Riku left right after he came out, and Axel followed him. That was almost two hours ago. King Mickey was on his way to look for them when I came in." Kairi explained.

Sora didn't look at Kairi, as he scarfed down the rest of his meal.

Kairi was feeling a little uncomfortable with the lull in conversation. Sora usually had no problem talking with his mouth full. She took to pulling at the hem of her skirt as she waited for him to finish his meal.

"Thank you for the food Kairi," Sora finally spoke.

"It's no problem." She assured him. Picking up the tray, she made her way to the door, but stopped before leaving. "Um, King Mickey wanted me to tell you that as soon as you were feeling better, he would like for you to enter the computer."

Sora looked up a little surprised, but then he nodded. "Okay, I'll get dressed and be out soon."

After Kairi left, shutting the door behind her, Sora climbed off of the bed. He grabbed his clothes and a towel before making his way into the bathroom.

He took a long shower. The water felt good against his skin, and he felt, with his refreshed body, he might have a little more strength to take on the day. He'd have to see Riku again sooner or later, and he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

When he was ready, Sora took a deep breath and opened the door to his room. Head held high, he made his way down the hall and staircase. As he made his way down the stairs, he found that everyone was in the living room, chatting. When he reached the bottom stair, everyone stopped talking.

"How are you feeling?" King Mickey asked politely.

"Um, okay I guess." Sora looked around; he had something he had to do. He scanned the room for Axel, but avoided Riku's eyes. It was a little difficult, as he was sitting right next to the red head, and his gaze was so intent. He swallowed hard and began. "I'm sorry for hurting you Axel. I really don't remember much after leaving the house with Kairi yesterday."

Axel waved him away. "It's fine. I just hope we get to the bottom of this before you decide to take another whack at severing my head from my body." Axel joked and Sora smiled softly.

At least he wasn't holding a grudge. Knowing what Axel was capable of, Sora really didn't want the man to be against him.

"Well now that that is settled," King Mickey spoke up. "I would like for you and Riku to follow me to the computer room. I want to get it fixed as quickly as possible."

Sora gulped audibly. "What does Riku have to do with this?" Realizing how the statement sounded, Sora quickly tried to cover it up. "I… I mean, he's afraid of computers right? Don't put him through that."

"Nonsense. He will be going with you. We wouldn't want you to be unprotected now would we?"

"Ah, no, but can't Goofy and Donald come with me like they did last time?" Sora would try anything to keep from being stuck in the computer program with Riku practically alone. It seemed like his refreshing shower that morning didn't do as much to prepare him for Riku as he thought.

"They aren't here right now and it would take too long to get them here." Mickey explained.

It was time to try a new approach then. Maybe he could get Riku to back down. "Oh, well then we should get this over and done with. I'm feeling much better so we can go do it now unless anyone wants to wait. The computer is broken, and who knows how long it will take to fix it."

No such response came from Riku, and the King nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."

The party moved to the computer room, and stood before it waiting.

"Are you both ready?" Mickey asked, entering the code on the computer.

"No, not really, but I'm never going to be ready, no matter how long we wait," Riku told him.

Sora nearly pouted after hearing that. Didn't he just mention something about waiting? Maybe even leaving Riku here? They would put it off until Donald and Goofy got there if Sora could get his way. "Yeah…I guess."

"Then here we go." The king nodded, and finished the code, and pressed the enter key.

A beam of light shot from the eye above the monitor, and almost instantly, both Sora and Riku were digitized, and transferred into the computer.


	7. Chapter 7

As they materialized, Sora glanced over at the other boy. Riku looked just like he, Donald, and Goofy had when they entered the computer the last time. The luminescent lines that stretched across his body horizontally weren't the same bluish hue as the ones on his own outfit. They were silver; nearly the same brilliance as his hair. Though he was a little miffed at Riku at the moment, he had to admit Riku's hair was one of the things he admired most about the boy. However, the clothing did nothing to accentuate his body. The stiff vinyl clothing was difficult to move in, and he wondered for a moment if Riku would have difficulty moving around.

"Damn it!" Sora growled to himself for staring at Riku. He tried to focus on the eerie blue glow of pulsating light along the walls. Beautiful or not, he was still stuck in the computer with _Riku._

He shot a quick look at the silver haired boy. He seemed relatively casual. If anything, his calm demeanor made Sora even angrier. He was really starting to regret not waiting for Goofy and Donald to arrive. At least then he would have someone to take his attention from Riku. With just the two of them in the great expanse of the computer system, all he could do was broad over what he'd seen earlier between Riku and Axel…

"Something on your mind?" Riku asked lifting a brow.

Sora frowned, pausing for a moment. He doubted saying what he truly felt would have made the trip any easier so he decided to voice his earlier sentiments. "We could have waited for Goofy and Donald to get here."

"The King asked me to come with you." Riku said simply. "Besides, we're already here. It's a little too late for that."

"Yeah well…" Sora said scratching the back of his head. "I don't care what the King says…" He snorted. "That doesn't make any sense. Why on earth would he ask you to come along too?"

"To protect you," Riku replied.

"Protect me?" Sora stopped walking. "I'm pretty sure I remember saving the world from darkness without your help." He felt himself slipping. He could tell his comments weren't sounding as neutral as he wanted them too, but he couldn't help it. He would have much rather had Riku _protect_ their relationship instead of putting a wedge in between them.

Axel…really?...

Sora started again, and now, he could feel neck and ears burning. He clenched his fists. "Goofy or Donald could do that. Hell, even Tron can do that…"

Riku opened his mouth to respond, however his jaw just hung open slightly for a few minutes. He hadn't quite generated anything to say. Sora was obviously quite tense about something…and it was to be expected (everyone was entitled to a bout of irritation every once in a while) however this was way out of character for him.

A part of him wondered if he might be suffering from the same darkness that had overtaken him earlier when he attacked them. Though his tone and demeanor was not as extreme as it was that afternoon, he was still uncharacteristically annoyed.

He sighed. Perhaps it would be best not to further provoke the issue. It was probably safer to change the subject.

"Tron?" He tried to sound passive, and started walking again. "Who's…?" Riku never finished the questioned because Sora grabbed his arm and pulled him behind one of the digital blocks.

"Shh. That's the main terminal there," Sora pointed down the corridor to their right. Down a ways he could make out a large screen with several other panels and controls near by. He swallowed. As complex as the computer looked, there was something far more troubling near by. A large black dog with three heads...with digitized characteristics was guarding the massive computer head. It resembled Cerberus…but what was it doing there? Hades wasn't any where near the computer and considering the overall style of the world, he doubted he'd be able to use it well enough to program a version of his pet in the land. He scratched his head.

"That! Right there…" Riku leaned over Sora a bit to look over his spikey hair. Right behind the dog's quickly swishing tail he could make out a cage. There was a person inside. He looked anxiously at the dog as it scratched its neck with a massive paw.

Sora looked up, and his face paled a little as he recognized the figure in the cage. "Oh my gosh, that's Tron. What the hell is going on?!" Quietly, Sora summoned his Keyblade and attempted to move toward the computer.

"What do you think you are doing?" Riku whispered as he grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him back behind the block.

"What does it look like?" Sora hissed. "I'm going to kick Computer Cerberus's butt and free Tron so we can find out what's going on." He pulled his arm out of Riku's grasp.

"We need a plan first. You can't just go barging in like you always do. What if something happens and that thing destroys the terminal or the cage the guy is in?"

"I won't! I've been doing this for a while, Riku. I think I can handle it."

"I know you have, but it never hurts to plan things out." Riku shook his head. "You just can't do things without thinking." He sighed. There was certainly a better way of doing this than barging right through and attacking the dog. He knew Sora was always a touch on the impulsive side, but this was just silly.

"I do to think."

"Oh really?"

"That's right. I plan…almost every thing!"

Riku said folding his arms. He was getting a little annoyed with Sora's difficulty. By acting like this, he was going to end up getting the both of them killed! He realized he was stroking the fire, however he knew he needed to set Sora straight before they continued on with their mission. "So let me see if I understand you. You plan out everything? Like how you were going to save Kairi and I before doing it? You planned out how you were going to get rid of Xemnas?" Riku snorted. "And let's not forget that you knew how we'd all feel if you took off on your own before we all decided to go together."

"Oh shut up. This is different. I've fought Cerberus before. I know what I'm doing! I don't need you to tell me how to—"

"Sora! Listen to me!" Riku was starting to feel his cheeks redden a bit. He had gotten himself worked up—which of course is never in the equation when trying to get something done—and he wasn't quite finished letting Sora understand how silly he was acting and how irritating it was to deal with him, and how un-Sora like he'd been acting over their time on this trip. In fact, it seemed like the whole trip was a terrible idea…nothing had gone quite right. He had to admit, he hadn't quite been in the best of moods himself due to the mishap with Kairi joining him.

All he wanted do to, was spend time with his best friend, however, with Kairi tagging along, Sora acting so out of character, and the pressure of dealing with a new foe he couldn't figure out was making things difficult.

"Riku! We have to get Tron. We can talk about this later."

"No, I want this on the table now. You and I are going to have to work as a team, and I want all of this out on the table before this fight."

"I don't have a problem! All I care about is saving this world like I did last time, saving you, protecting Kairi and restoring Destiny Island! Let's just---."

Riku had to let out a grunt at the mention of the girl. "Oh that's right. Kairi. Why don't you just go out with the girl? It seems like you can't go five seconds without her!"

"What?!" Sora said raising his voice. Riku looked up for a moment to see if the digital version of Cerberus had noticed. When he found that the dog hadn't made any hostile movements, he turned his attention back to the fuming brunet. "Why would you care if Kairi is around or not? She gives me more attention than you do. The only thing you want to do anymore is stare out at the ocean, and act just as you did before the whole mess with the heartless." His set his hands on his slim hips leaning down slightly at the still crouching Riku. "I didn't save your ass to have to wishing you could go back to the Nobodies and Axel! If that's were you wanted to be, you never should have left. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to kick that thing's butt so I can get out of here and take Kairi home. You can stay here with Axel for all I care."

Before Riku could say another word, Sora jetted off toward the three headed dog. His Keyblade was stretched before him, and as soon as he was close enough, he leapt into the air and attempted to bring the blade down on its head. The middle head merely growled. The beast lifted one of its enormous paws and swiped at Sora before the attack had a chance to connect. The force sent the boy across the room, straight into the wall.

Riku held his breath as he watched Sora's body make impact. He didn't know what kind of effect fighting in this digital world would produce, which was one of the reasons why he hated the idea of being inside the computer so much. If they were finished off here, would they ever be able to return to the normal world?

The silver haired boy knew that he had to do something. He quickly conjured his Keyblade and ran out of his hiding place to confront the creature. He had to get to Sora. The beast was already standing over his dazed form as he started to close in on it.

Riku used Sora as a distraction and took the opportunity to climb up on the back leg of the animal and finally onto it's back. Quickly, Riku used his Keyblade and sliced across all three heads at once. The beast fell backward causing the boy to slide off of its back and land hard on it's but. In a matter of moments, the computer version of Cerberus broke apart into tiny computerized particles and disappeared.

Sora, still a bit dazed from being hit by Cerberus, was able to get to his feet with the help of the wall. He groaned a little, but focused on Riku sitting in front of him. His face was turned up in mild pain. Sora wasn't sure what to say to the silver haired boy, he new he should thank him or something, but it was kind of awkward after having just had an argument with him. Frankly, he was surprised that Riku had even helped him after the way he had yelled at the boy. He approached Riku slowly. "Um…are you okay?" he asked as he offered to help Riku stand.

Riku grabbed the offered hand and stood. "Yeah, though I don't understand how that could have hurt...all this is a bunch of computer matter right? It's not really here…?"

Sora frowned. "I can't tell you, but Tron might be…TRON!" Sora exclaimed as he remembered his friend was still stuck in the cage. Quickly running to the cage, he used his Keyblade to knock the lock from the cage so Tron could escape.

When Tron was free, he shouted Sora's name joyously and threw his arms around the boy. Riku lifted an unimpressed eyebrow and waited to be introduced.

"Riku this is Tron," he said after gently pulling his arms from around his body. "He's the one that will know what's going on." He turned his attention to his friend. "What is going on? What was that? Why aren't the probes working? Is there a virus or something?"

Tron smiled, "Still the same easily excited boy I remember that was always asking questions." He chuckled. "They came in here and started messing everything up that's what's going on here. They turned the probes off and created that monster," Tron started to explain.

"They? Who are _they_?" Riku asked as he stepped forward.

"The Fairies," Tron said looking at him as if that was the basest question in the world.

"The Fairies? You don't mean Yuna, Rikku, and Paine? Do you?" Sora said with a lifted brow.

"Yes, the very ones." He turned his attention to Sora, almost completely ignoring Riku. If Tron remembered correctly this Riku guy, was one of the ones Sora had been looking for the last time he had visited. Tron had seen how upset Sora was over not being able to find his friends, and this Riku had just gone off without even thinking about how Sora would feel. Normally, he liked everyone, but he didn't like when people hurt his friends. "They came into the system, locked me up, and shut the probes down and created that monster to stand guard incase I got out." He folded his arms.

"But they aren't bad? What has gotten into them?" Sora wondered.

"I haven't a clue, but I do remember them saying something about helping out the wronged… or something like that. I just hoped King Mickey and Cid would figure out that something was wrong and send someone in."

"That's exactly what happened. Now why don't we get these things fixed?" Sora gestured towards the terminal.

Tron cautiously approached the terminal to make sure there weren't any more traps set up. Sora and Riku watched in awe as he hit what looked like a million buttons, before turning back to them.

"Okay, there really wasn't that much wrong with it. They just turned off the probes and but some blocks up, so that Cid couldn't gain access from the outside. I fixed it now. Everything should be working now."

Riku lifted his brow as he looked at the finished terminal. Though he didn't want to stay in the computer much longer than he had to, he was relieved that it was at last working properly.

"Looks like we can go back now." Sora said clapping his hands together.

Riku nodded and followed him back to the control room where they had first appeared in. Tron flipped the switch, and after a wave and an offer to come back to visit, the two boys were brought back to their world.

"I've never been so glad to breathe in my life!" Riku said, placing a hand to his chest and taking an exaggerated breath.

"You didn't have to come," Sora snapped.

"If I hadn't you would have been puppy food by now!" Riku said in a stern voice.

"Boys?" Mickey questioned and stepped between the two of them. He really didn't want the two of them fighting. If anything, he hoped a little time in the computer would have helped solve some of their differences. "What happened in there?"

Sora sighed before telling the king what had happened. "When we got there, we couldn't find Tron. When we did finally find him, he was trapped in a cage in the main terminal room and was being guarded by a gigantic computer version of Cerberus."

"You're joking?" Axel exclaimed.

"Nope." He frowned. "It decided it wanted to take a swipe at me while I was fighting and almost killed me, but Riku jumped on it and sliced all its heads off!"

"Shit, Riku are you okay?" Axel asked and he looked the silver-haired boy over. Sora fidgeted, and tried not to let his irritation show. It didn't seem like he cared too much about his concern, and was more troubled by the injuries Riku didn't even _have! _Then there was the added issue of Axel and Riku's relationship. He didn't really want the two of them near each other.

As Axel walked over and started checking him for injuries, Sora opted to just leave so he wouldn't have to look at the two of them any more. "King Mickey, the computer should be working fine now." He looked over his shoulder at the Riku and Axel before continuing. "Do you know where Kairi is? I think we should be leaving. I'm pretty sure Kairi wants to go back to Destiny Island soon. She probably really misses Wakka."

Riku turned his attention back to Sora, Axel was really making him uncomfortable because he really didn't want that kind of attention from anyone but Sora. "Why would she miss that nut case?"

"Oh, I don't know maybe because he's her boyfriend," Sora informed him without even looking at him.

"WHAT?" Riku yelled.

"You heard me, and don't scream. its annoying." Sora waved him off and tried to leave the room, but Riku grabbed his arm.

"I thought she liked you? That's why you have been practically joined together at the hip since we got back to the island."

Sora yanked his arm away from Riku, the tingling that was spreading across his body, was also sending his blood in a direction that he didn't want it to.

"Yeah, she likes me… like a brother. We are friends and we missed each other, so we spent time together, but you wouldn't understand that because the only thing you have done since we got back was look out over the damn water and wish to be back with him," Sora pointed at Axel. He knew his voice was starting to crack and he also knew if he didn't get out of there soon he was going to cry.

"That's not why I have been looking out over the water, I love the water, its calm and peaceful and…" Riku tried to explain, but Sora interrupted.

"Yeah right, you don't give a damn about any of us. I never should have gone looking for you. It's your fault everything got screwed up; it's your fault that I had to fix everything. Like always I had to fix your mess. You know what? Why don't you just stay here with your boyfriend because Wakka doesn't need you, Kairi doesn't need you, and I _definitely_ don't need you." Sora felt a little regret for saying this, especially when he knew most of it was because he was so angry. However, he still couldn't help saying it. He couldn't take any more.

He fled from the room just as the tears he was trying to hold in started to flow down his cheeks.

Riku stared as the boy left unable to believe what he had just said. Did Sora really not need him? Were the two of them ever going to figure out their differences? Things just seemed to tangle more and more the longer they were in contact with one another. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Now what?"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n: this has not been beta-ed yet but i wanted to give you guys something so I decided to just post this. I will repost it as soon as i get it beta-ed. again I'm sorry it has taken so long but I really didn't like how it was going to frankly I think it sucks. This will be the last chapter.**

Sora ran all the way to the house before he stopped just outside the front door. He couldn't go in like this. It would upset Kairi. So Sora leaned up against the wall and slumped down on to the cobblestone. Breathing slowly with deep breaths he finally began to calm down when he thought he heard tiny voices.

"We can't posses him again, Yuffie" said the voice.

"I know that but we have to do something, Paine." A second one chimed in, Sora assumed this must be Yuffie.

"Yea, but what can we do?" asked a third voice.

"Who's there?" Sora questioned as he looked around knowing it must be Paine, Rikku, and Yuffie.

"Uh oh, he heard us," the third voice sounded again.

"Ya think, Rikku?" Yuffie snapped. Suddenly, the three fairies appeared not more then two feet to Sora's left startling him slightly.

"What have you three been up to?" Sora scowled at the girls, just as Kairi opened the door to the house.

"Oh Sora, I was just coming to look for you," as she looked between the three fairies and Sora. "What's going on?"

"We were just trying to help," Yuffie began to explain in a hurried manor.

"Save it for King Mickey," Sora grumbled as he rose from where he sat. "You three have caused a lot of trouble. You better follow me."

The girls silently followed Sora and Kairi, without a single argument, back to the super computer room.

SRSRSRSR

Riku stood in the corner of the room, sulking, while he watched Cid and King Mickey communicate with Tron and use the computer to scan the city fro abnormalities.

Looking over at Riku, the mouse suggested, "Why don't you go after him? You will never be able to fix it if you don't."

"I know you are trying to help, but I don't think any amount of talking is going to help it this time. I messed up when I just assumed that Sora was in love with Kairi. He's right. I haven't been hanging out with my friends enough. If I had been I would have known that Kairi like Wakka and the only reason she was always around was because they were friends and he was trying to help her. I don't know how to fix…" Riku trailed off as Sora cautiously walked back through the lab door, with Kairi and three tiny girls that Riku assumed were the fairies that Tron was talking about.

"I think I found the cause for all the attacks," Sora told Mickey as he pointed at the small girls. "I don't' think they meant any harm though."

"Yeah, we were the ones…" Yuffie started.

"But, we didn't want to hurt anyone," Rikku assured them.

"Then, how do you explain the slice on Axel's neck?" Riku sneered.

"Th…that was an accident," Yuna stammered. "I… I lost control of Sora's body because his emotions were too great. I… I didn't mean to hurt him but Sora was so mad and… and if I hadn't tried to hold him back Axel would have been killed. I'm sure of it."

"Then the person does have control when you posses them?" King Mickey questioned.

"Well sort of," Rikku explained how it worked. "Yuna's power suppresses the part of a person's brain that keeps then from doing what they know they should not and allows them to do or say what they keep hidden."

"So you're saying Sora actually wants to kill Axel?" Riku scoffed and then turned to Sora. "Tell me she's joking or lying or something. Sora?"

"Yes, at that moment I did want to kill him," Sora confirmed, looking away from Riku

"Why? He saved our lives, he's our friend. Why would you want to do that?" Riku grabbed his shoulders and made the younger boy look at him.

"Because he didn't save us… he saved you… he's not my friend… he's your lover… and I hate him for it!" Sora shoved Riku away. "I left Destiny Island to find my best friend and the one person I love the most and bring them back home… I brought my best friend back, but my love never returned because he…" Sora pointed at the red head. "HE stole him from me. He stole you from me." Sora finally finished in defeat.

He'd tried to hide his feelings because he knew Riku didn't care for him that way but things ever work out the way you want them to.

"Kairi, let's go home now please," The Keyblade master moved towards the door, but he never made it.

Riku grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him flush against his body. Before Sora could even think Riku's soft lips were over his and the silver haired boy tightened his arms around the small form of his best friend and love of his life.

"You are wrong," Riku mumbled into Sora's mouth. "You have always had my heart and he knows that."

"It was the one part of him he would never give up," Axel signed. "And I never asked him to because I couldn't have given him my heart in return. I loved… I love Roxas and Riku was just a stand in for him, just as I was a stand in for you."

"Truly?" Sora inquired.

"Truly." Riku assured him as the younger and smaller boy flung his arms around Riku's next and hugged him hard. "I love you, Sora."

"Hmm, say it again."

"I love you," Riku whispered in his ear before burying his face in Sora's neck.

"I love you too, Riku."


End file.
